


Come Home

by XOLove47



Series: Agents of PROMPTS [4]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst, Coda Challenge @The FitzSimmons Network, F/M, FitzSkimmons - Freeform, bus kid feels, episode tag to 4.06
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-17
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-08-31 11:04:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8575879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XOLove47/pseuds/XOLove47
Summary: “A heart to resolve, a head to contrive and a hand to execute.” Daisy is the heart of the group, Jemma the head, and Fitz the hands -- and all three must work together to find a way to bring Fitz and the team home.[Prompt fill for TFSN’s Coda Challenge]





	1. Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Coda to 4.06 and (unlikely) spec for 4.07 and beyond, so spoilers ahead! First of three parts!
> 
> HUGE thanks to @writeonthrough for beta'ing (and for creating my header on tumblr!)

Coulson, Fitz and Robbie may have disappeared in the blink of an eye, but the hours that followed dragged on for what felt like an eternity.

Once the uproar that had immediately followed their disappearance had subsided, an eerie quiet had settled over Zephyr One. Deciding to take advantage of the quietness, Daisy slipped away from the group to wallow in her grief. She sat alone in the corner, knees drawn up to her chest with a single thought echoing through her head-- _not again_.

 _Everyone gets attached to something_ , Yoyo had said to her and Daisy wanted to scream at the irony of it. She had thought she had steeled herself against this kind of pain by walking away from SHIELD and everyone she had cared about. All those months on the run, she told herself she had nothing to lose, as if saying it often and loud enough would make it true. It became her mantra. But here she was anyway, obviously still with plenty to lose and now left to deal with the pain of losing people she cared about, _alone again_.

But she wasn’t alone.

Looking around the room, Daisy saw her pain reflected on the faces of the others. Mack’s shoulders were slumped over and he looked defeated. May’s usual mask of cold indifference had cracks in it and her genuine distress was peeking through. And Gabe-- he was just a kid that had no business being mixed up in SHIELD’s mess, but here is was, looking just as lost and confused as the rest of them.

Seeing her team’s hopeless faces strengthened Daisy’s resolve and she decided to rejoin the group. She tentatively asked, “So now what?”

May responded, “Well, we’ve done a thorough sweep of the facility and there is no sign of them. We need to analyze the tech that Eli left behind to try to figure out what the hell he was trying to do and what his next move might be. But the person most qualified to do so has gone missing, so barring that we need Simmons out here to help the field techs make sense of it.”

Daisy gasped, empathy for her friend overwhelming her. “Oh God, Simmons. We have to tell her about Fitz. Is she back on base?”

“That’s the thing. Fitz had been trying to reach her all day, but she wasn’t answering-- which isn’t like her,” Mack explained.

May chimed in, “I asked around and from what I understand, nobody has seen her around HQ since an early morning meeting with the director.”

Daisy found new determination at their information and announced, “Well, in that case, I think it’s time we had a little chat with SHIELD’s new director.”

* * *

 

Director Mace and his team loading up his quinjet and readying for departure when Daisy and the team found him. They lined up side by side to question him.

“Leaving so soon?” Daisy questioned. “We’ve barely begun the investigation.”

“What happened to Agents Coulson and Fitz is a terrible tragedy and a great loss for SHIELD, but I still have an organization to run,” Mace replied. “I trust Agents May and Mack to lead the investigation in my absence.”

May arched an eyebrow, “You’re acting as if they’re already dead.”

“That is the most likely scenario. I’m sorry, I know they mean a lot to you, but you’re naive if you think otherwise.” Mace said matter-of-factly.

“I think we’re dealing with tech that we don’t understand and it’s too soon to say either way,” May replied through gritted teeth. “And I learned a long time ago never to count Phil Coulson out-- or Agent Fitz for that matter.”

Daisy had her own biting remark to contribute on the tip of her tongue, but before she could get it out, Mack intervened, “Sir, this wasn’t actually what we came up to discuss with you. We haven’t been able to reach Simmons and we really need to bring her in on this. Do you know where she is?”

“Unfortunately, Agent Simmons is on assignment and cannot be disturbed.” Mace responded coldly.

Daisy couldn’t believe her ears. “I can guarantee that Simmons would want to be ‘disturbed’ for something like this-- especially if it involves Fitz.”

“Be that as it may, I’m afraid it’s just not possible. She’s on a mission of utmost priority, so you’ll just have to soldier on without her,” the director replied.

Mace’s condescending answer was the final straw for Daisy. The anger and frustration that had been building up inside her bubbled over and in an instant, she had Mace pinned against the wall of the plane.

“I’ve lost enough people I care about and I will not lose any more. This may be a game to you, Director, but these people are my family,” Daisy exploded, using her powers to shorten his breath. “So, tell me-- _Where. Is. Simmons?_ ”

Director Mace chose to claw at his shirt collar rather than answer Daisy. Behind her, she heard Mack and May telling her to stand down, that she wasn’t supposed to be using her powers yet. She held the director for another beat before releasing him and he collapsed in a heap on the floor.

Daisy looked down at the director expectantly, “Well? Where is she?”

Director Mace gasped out, “Agent Simmons is on loan to Senator Nadeer--I don’t have her exact location.”

“Wait, that Inhuman-hating, bile spewing, extremely xenophobic senator--that Senator Nadeer? Why the hell would you work with someone like that?” Daisy bit out.

“A little thing I like to call interagency cooperation,” was Mace’s coy response. He paused to look at their outrage before he continued on, “It was actually you and your fiery friend that forced my hand-- she was the one who brought the footage of your rampage during that prison break to my attention.”

“So the senator’s blackmailing you- and what, she named Jemma as her price?” Daisy said skeptically. “You didn’t find that suspicious? Did you even ask how she came by those tapes?”

Mace waved off Daisy’s skepticism. “Call it what you want. I did what I needed to protect SHIELD,” Mace defended. “And no, Agent Simmons wasn’t her price. You were--which is why you’ll be coming with me.”

Mace reached for Daisy’s arm, but May stepped forward before he could touch her, “You’ll have to get through me first.”

“And me,” Mack chimed in, as he looked back at Daisy. “We just got you back, Tremors--and after all we’ve been through today, you’re crazy if you think we’re letting you go without a fight.”

“Guys, stand down. It’s alright,” Daisy said with a mischievous glint in her eye. “I’ve got an idea.”

* * *

The director signing off on her plan came with two conditions: first, Daisy had to get rid of the video the Senator was holding over his head and second, she had to give him plausible deniability.

The first request had been child’s play--despite Fitz’s teasing, she hadn’t lost her touch as a hacker. The second had been a little more difficult and had ultimately landed her in handcuffs.

After thinking about it, Daisy realized that best way to find Jemma was to have Senator Nadeer lead them to her--which meant allowing the Senator and her watchdog goons to think the director was willingly turning “the Inhuman vigilante Quake” over to her. Once Daisy was inside the facility and the director was back in the air, she could set her plan to extract Jemma in motion.

Breaking free of her captors had been easy enough--except one had escaped long enough to sound the alarm, which had accelerated her timetable.

Claxons ringing, Daisy burst through the lab door and found Jemma ready to spring into action and wielding a pipe.

“Daisy? What are you doing here?” Jemma said incredulously.

“What does it look like? I’m here to rescue you,” Daisy quipped, stealing a moment for a prideful smirk. “Now come on, we don’t have a lot of time.”

Without any additional preamble, Daisy quaked a hole through the wall.

“I thought I told you not to use your powers for a week!” Jemma admonished.

Daisy shrugged, losing her momentary high. “Well, desperate times call for desperate measures.”

Jemma could sense something was off, “Daisy, what’s going on? What aren’t you telling me?” When her friend didn’t respond, Jemma (correctly) concluded that what she was keeping from her had to do with Fitz. “Where’s Fitz?”

Before Daisy could respond, a guard burst through the door. She twisted his arm and threw an elbow into his head knocking him out.

“We’ve got to go. Now.” Daisy said firmly, leaving no room for discussion.

She gestured for Jemma to climb through the hole. Jemma hesitated for second, before nodding and following Daisy’s lead. The pair slinked around the outside of the warehouse, avoiding the guards’ attention.

When they were a safe distance away, Daisy tapped a couple of buttons on her wrist. A few seconds later, a containment unit dropped in front of the pair.

The minute the door closed, Jemma spun around and faced Daisy, “Alright, now that we’re safe, you’re going to tell me exactly what is going on. Where’s Fitz?” She repeated, “Is he hurt?”

Daisy’s heart was in her throat. How was she going to do this? How was she supposed break this sort of devastating news to her friend?

She must have been silent for too long, because Jemma’s voice broke through her thoughts, “Daisy, you’re scaring me.”

“Fitz is gone.” Daisy blurted out.

“What do you mean, gone?” Jemma said anxiously, her voice wavering.

“I mean, he -- and Coulson and Robbie-- just disappeared. We were at the power plant and Eli Morrow did something and-- ”

“Daisy, you’re not making any sense. People just don’t disappear. It’s a scientific fact-- matter cannot be created or destroyed.” Jemma denied.

Daisy took a steadying breath and launched into the mission details. As she relayed what happened, Jemma grew more and more visibly distressed. By the time she was done, Jemma was choking back sobs. Daisy knew exactly what she was feeling, the pain and the guilt, and she pulled the other girl into a bone-crushing hug. After a beat or two, she pulled back and placed her hands on Jemma’s shoulders.

“Listen to me. We’re going to get Fitz back. And Coulson. And Robbie,” Daisy said emphatically. “The cosmos don’t get to win this time.”

That last sentence almost seemed to jolt Jemma back to life. She straightened herself up and dried her eyes. When she looked back at Daisy, instead of hopelessness, she saw determination. “You’re right. Fitz never gave up on me and I won’t give up on him.”

They would find a way to bring their team home, to bring Fitz home to Jemma, Daisy resolved. Jemma would not share her fate. She would be reunited with her soulmate.


	2. Head

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coda to 4.06 and (admittedly unlikely) spec for 4.07 and beyond, so spoilers ahead! Second of three parts!
> 
> Beta'ed by the awesome @lettertoelise -thanks for stepping in last minute!

_Matter cannot be created or destroyed_ , Jemma repeated to herself for what must have been the thousandth time that week. Since the team’s disappearance, she had wrapped herself up in the First Law of Thermodynamics, as if it were some sort of security blanket. It was the only thing keeping her sane-- to know that according to science, Fitz had to be out there somewhere.

Jemma thought the nine days Fitz was unconscious after the pod incident were the longest of her life, but she had been wrong. She thought that time could not move any slower than the 4,722 hours that she had spent on that godforsaken planet, but she had been proven wrong again.

These past seven days without knowing where Fitz was-- or if he was even alive, had been torturous. Jemma didn’t know how Fitz had survived six months of this uncertainty and pain-- being on this side of it, made her love and appreciate him even more.

Jemma shook her head and focused on the task at hand. She was poring over Peggy Carter’s old SSR case file from her experience with Dr. Wilkes and Zero Matter, looking for clues that could help find Fitz-- and Coulson and Robbie. The cases had some striking similarities between them-- an explosion followed by a mysterious disappearance. What really piqued her interest was that according to the file, this Dr. Wilkes had been trapped in incorporeal form as a result of exposure to Zero Matter. He and Howard Stark had apparently built a device that could reverse the effects, but the file contained next to no details or specs on it.

“Goddamn you, Peggy Carter!” Jemma exclaimed, slamming the file down in frustration.

Out of nowhere, Jemma heard Daisy’s voice behind her, “Uh oh. Things must not be going well if you’re cursing your hero’s name.”

Jemma jumped in surprise. When she turned around, she saw that Daisy was leaning in the entryway of the lab, holding two mugs. “Oh god, Daisy-- you scared me.”

“Sorry, Jem. How about a tea as a peace offering?” Daisy said, setting one of the mugs down next to her. “How’s it going? Making any progress?”

Jemma shook her head, “Every time I feel like I’m getting somewhere, I end up hitting a brick wall. Like with this case,” Jemma said, pausing to pick up the file and wave it in the air. “Peggy Carter seems to have dealt with something similar in the 40s, but the file is woefully light on details about the device Howard Stark built to solve it. It’s beyond frustrating.”

Daisy shook her head sympathetically and reached out to grab Jemma’s hand, “I know how you feel. We’re not making much headway on tracking Eli either.”

“Well, when you do find him, I’d like a few minutes alone with him,” Jemma muttered darkly. “Speaking of which, my current theory is when he activated the chamber, the energy pulse sent Fitz and the team to another plane and now they’re trapped there. Under normal circumstances, I’d have dismissed that as completely ridiculous, but after everything we’ve seen…” Jemma said, leaving the unspoken words hanging in the air.

“See? You _are_ making progress,” Daisy said with forced enthusiasm.

Jemma stared at her feet and avoided eye contact with Daisy. “Not really-- that still doesn’t solve the problem of how to find them or bring them home,” Jemma admitted. “The irony is that I could really use Fitz right about now. He would be able to make sense of all of this, but I’m a bit out of my depth.”

“Can I help? I know I’m not Fitz or an engineer or anything-- but I do have a fresh pair of eyes,” Daisy offered, desperate to do something, _anything_ to help her friend.

As Daisy spoke, a light bulb went off in Jemma’s head. “That’s sweet of you to offer, but no. What you said about fresh eyes does give me an idea though-- I think I know somebody who can help,” Jemma said, hope tugging at the corners of her mind for the first time in days.

* * *

A short while later, Jemma found herself banging on Holden Radcliffe’s front door. From the other side, she heard Radcliffe call out, “Quit your banging. I’m coming, I’m coming.”

He flung open the door, looking ready to berate whoever was on the other side, but the words died on his lips when he saw Jemma standing on his porch.

Clearly surprised to see her,  Radcliffe sputtered, “Agent Simmons-- to what do I owe the unexpected pleasure?”

“Fitz is missing and you’re going to help me bring him home,” Jemma declared, as she pushed passed him, carrying a large box of materials.

“What do you mean ‘Fitz is missing’? And what could I possibly do to help that your SHIELD agents couldn’t?” Radcliffe asked in alarm, trailing behind her on their way to his lab.

Jemma quickly briefed him on what had happened with Fitz and the team before bringing him up to speed on her current theory, breathlessly concluding, “So, Fitz is trapped on a plane that runs parallel to ours, but we can’t see. I need you to help me build a device that can bridge the two.”

“Oh, is that all?” Radcliffe replied wryly.

“Please, I know you’re more than capable-- you built an android, after all,” Jemma saw the other scientist’s eyes widen in shock, but she barreled on before Radcliffe could interrupt. “Yes, I know the truth about Aida-- a truth that I had to go to great lengths, at personal cost, to keep from SHIELD. So you owe me this. And you definitely owe Fitz.”

Radcliffe withered under Jemma’s harsh glare, “So where do we get started?”

Jemma breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, everything I have is in that box over there, all color coded and organized by type. We have old case files, specs on what Eli Morrow was creating, energy readings from the accident site…” Jemma paused. “Where is Aida anyway? We could use her help.”

“Ah, about that… I sent her on an errand,” Radcliffe said sheepishly.

Jemma stopped in her tracks, “Wait, you’re telling me that you sent an android out unsupervised in the world-- what, to fetch you dinner? I can’t believe you’d be that reckless.”

“It’s a legitimate part of her testing. I need to see how she interacts with other people,” Radcliffe said defensively.

Jemma rolled her eyes, “I don’t have time for this. Let’s just get to work.”

* * *

Working with Radcliffe was nothing like working with Fitz. He was disorganized and pigheaded, albeit brilliant-- which is why she put up with him. They had spent much of the afternoon bickering, which is why it was a welcome distraction when Aida walked into the lab.

“Hello there,” Aida greeted Jemma, before turning to Radcliffe. “I didn’t realize we were expecting guests today.”

“We weren’t. Agent Simmons came looking for help, because Agent Fitz is missing,” Radcliffe replied.

Aida cocked her head to the side, “What do you mean Agent Fitz is missing?”

“There was an accident and now he’s trapped in some sort of parallel plane, but never fear, Aida. Simmons and I are working on way to find him,” Radcliffe declared with bravado, briefly looking up from his work and at his creation.

“No, you misunderstand me. I mean, Agent Fitz is right here. I can see him standing next to Agent Simmons,” Aida said in her usual detached manner.

“He’s here?” Jemma said hopefully, eyes alight and darting around the lab. “Where?”

“He’s on your left. Unfortunately, it seems as if I cannot hear him, but he is gesturing and pointing at you,” Aida said, hesitating slightly. “I understand now. I think he’s trying to say he loves you.”

Jemma turned to where Aida said Fitz was standing and whispered to the air, “I love you too. I’m not going to stop until I find a way to reverse this.”

Jemma closed her eyes and breathed in deeply to center herself. This was the breakthrough she had been waiting for. Fitz was alive-- now all she had to do was bring him home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on Tumblr @accio-the-force -- I love talking about all things Fitzsimmons and AoS, so feel free to hit me up!


	3. Hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is only about 3 weeks later than I intended, but here is the ending to my first multi-chapter fic! Obviously 4.07 torpedoed this fic/ending, but this is how I would have resolved everything. I hope you enjoy my spin on it :)

_Jemma knew he was alive-- and that he loved her._

For the first time in a week, Fitz felt like he could  breathe again. Making contact with the team lifted a weight off his shoulders. Hope bubbled up inside him when he realized the possibility of escaping from this hell and making it home, being reunited with Jemma was all within his grasp.

**_One week prior_ **

“Bloody hell… what was that?” Fitz mused aloud, surveying his surroundings, as he took them in. He was all in one piece, which he supposed was something to be grateful for after that energy pulse has ripped through the facility. The control room seemed to be intact, as well-- but it was unnaturally quiet and still. Fitz couldn’t put his finger on it-- something just felt… off.

Fitz reached out to the control panel in front of him to gather some readings, but to his surprise, his hand passed right through the solid metal.

“Well, that’s… different,” Fitz murmured, not quite sure how to react. Possible explanations whizzed through his head, each more ridiculous than the last. The scientist in him realized that he needed more data before he could draw any definitive conclusions.

Luckily, at that moment, Mack came bursting through the door, guns blazing.

“Mack! Thank God you’re back. We have a problem, I can’t...” Fitz trailed off, brow wrinkling in confusion. Mack swept the room, but made no move to acknowledge his presence. It was as if he wasn’t even there.

“Oh no. No, no, no!” Fitz said in disbelief. Refusing to accept the evidence in front of him, he tried harder to get Mack’s attention-- calling his name, as he jumped in the air and waved his arms. If Mack _had_ able to see him, he probably would’ve looked pretty ridiculous.

Mack looked distressed, as he gave his sitrep over comms, “May-- No sign of Fitz in the control room. I’m on my way to you.”

“Mack, I’m right here!” Fitz yelled in frustration, but it fell on deaf ears. As Mack left the room, he decided to follow. Staying close to the team was his best bet, until he could figure out what to do next.

Mack was on high alert and moved quickly through the facility’s corridors. Fitz trailed behind him at a much slower pace, intently focused on looking for clues. As he rounded the corner, he smacked into something solid-- the first thing since he came to.

“Fitz?”

“Coulson?”

“You can see me?” they both said simultaneously.

“Thank God,” Coulson exclaimed, relief radiating off of him. “Invisibility isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

“Strictly speaking, sir, we’re not invisible. I think whatever Morrow did sent us to another dimension that runs parallel to our own, which is why the team can’t see us,” Fitz corrected him.

“Thank you, Agent Fitz, for that oh-so-helpful analysis,” Coulson replied, shaking his head. “Let’s catch up with the team. We need to keep close tabs on them, until we figure how to make contact.”

Coulson and Fitz silently agreed to follow Mack, but suddenly, they heard sounds of a firefight coming from the other direction. The pair shared a knowing look, before running towards the action and gunshots.

By the time they got there, the gunfire had ceased and they found May and Robbie Reyes slumped on the ground.

Coulson looked distressed and rushed to her side, calling  out, “May! MAY!”

The female agent looked in his direction and for one brief moment, Fitz thought she might have actually heard Coulson. But that hope was quickly dashed, when Mack came up behind them.

“May-- Are you alright? Who were you shooting at? There’s no one here.” Mack said, as he scanned the room.

“I’m fine,” May groaned as Mack helped pull her up, “And I _was_ shooting at Eli, but he got away. He seems to have gotten a nice little power boost from the stunt that he pulled.”

“That’s just perfect. Just when I thought today couldn’t get any worse,” Fitz muttered. His brow wrinkled in confusion, as he looked over at Robbie. “Wait, did Mack say there was nobody else here? What about Robbie?”

“What about me?” Robbie replied groggily.

“Ah well, Mr. Reyes, it seems like thanks to your uncle, you’ve joined Agent Fitz and I in being trapped in another dimension. Welcome to the club,” Coulson said with a wry smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

Robbie opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, they heard Mack say they were heading back to Zephyr One to regroup and report back to the director.

“C’mon, we’ve got to go. It would be very bad if they took off and left us behind,” Fitz proclaimed, giving Robbie a hand up.

* * *

Zephyr One was as quiet a mausoleum, which was appropriate since most of the team thought they were dead. Fitz looked around and saw a room full of crestfallen faces. It was a strange feeling to see the people you care about _mourning_ you firsthand. He felt like a ghost-- and, he realized in some ways, he was.

Fitz shook the melancholy thoughts from his head. He needed to stay focused on the task at hand-- finding a way to get home to Jemma.

Fitz walked over to Coulson, who was hovering by May. Coulson looked at him expectantly, “So what have you got?”

“The best that I can tell is that the energy pulse knocked us onto the same plane as Lucy and the other ‘ghosts,’ but Eli actually got the calculations right. So instead of straddling the two dimensions like they did, we were fully transported,” Fitz explained. “But in terms of making contact or getting home, that doesn’t help us. I still have no idea how we’re going to do that when we can’t bloody touch anything.”

Coulson reached over and placed a hand on Fitz’s shoulder, “Well, it’s a start, at least. We’ll figure it out, we always do.”

Fitz bristled at the contact and shrugged off Coulson’s well intentioned gesture. Instead, he blew up at the older agent, visibly distressed and his voice cracking with emotion, “It’s not good enough! What if we don’t figure it out? What if we never get home and-- oh God, Jemma. We were fighting before I left for this mission and what if I never get the chance to make up with her?”

“Fitz, listen to me. Are you listening?” Coulson said earnestly, waiting for Fitz to nod before continuing. “We _will_ find a way to get home and I guarantee that Jemma will be so happy to see you that your fight will be forgotten.”  

Fitz’s freakout drew the attention of Robbie who moved away from his brother and over to where Fitz and Coulson were standing, “Everything okay?”

Fitz locked eyes with Coulson and took a deep breath, regaining some control. “Yeah, it will be.”

Before he could say anything further, Daisy made her way over to May and Mack. The trapped trio listened intently as May gave a sitrep, but when the discussion turned to Jemma, it was like a punch in the gut to Fitz.

Daisy gasped, “Oh God, Simmons. We have to tell her about Fitz. Is she back on base?”  

Hearing Mack talk about how he hadn’t been able to reach Jemma all day brought that worry back to the forefront of his mind. It _wasn’t_ like her not to answer.

When May relayed a new piece of intel about Jemma not being seen around HQ since an early morning meeting with the director, Fitz yelled out, "I knew it! I knew they were hiding something from me."

“Well, in that case, I think it’s time we had a little chat with SHIELD’s new director.”

Frustration with the director building, Fitz agreed, “Damn right, Daisy. He better have a good explanation for this.”

Fitz, Coulson and Robbie trailed behind the other agents as they went to confront the director. The more Fitz listened in to their conversation, the angrier he got.

“Thank you, May! Seriously, I can’t believe you stepped down for this jerk, Coulson.” Fitz huffed.

Fitz couldn’t believe his ears as he heard Mace’s declaration. “Jemma can’t be disturbed? Tell them where she is, you snivelling weasel.”

He cheered when Daisy used her powers on him, but when he finally revealed Jemma’s location, he exploded, “You gave her up to that SHREW? I swear if she’s done anything to Jemma, what Daisy just did is going to look like child’s play when I get my hands on you.”

Coulson and Robbie shared a small smile, finding a tiny bit of humor in the bleakness of their situation.

* * *

Coulson practically had to physically restrain Fitz from joining Daisy’s rescue mission-- and consequently, he spent the whole time climbing the walls of the loading bay, anxiously watching and waiting for them to return. So when Jemma and Daisy stepped out of the containment unit, he was finally able to exhale. Jemma looked rumpled and her eyes were bloodshot, as if she had been crying, but she was safe.

Fitz wanted to rush over to her, hold her. Before everything had gone pear-shaped on this mission, he had pictured their reunion-- how he would apologize and make everything up to her. But, unfortunately, all of his plans required him to be corporeal and in the same dimension as her.

Mack and May converged on her and Daisy, moving to console and comfort her. Fitz bristled a bit at the fact that they could touch her, hug her, be there for her when he couldn’t.

Jemma pulled away from the team to look them square in the eye, “What are we all doing standing around? We have a lot of work to do if we’re going to bring the team home.”

Jemma did throw herself into her work. In fact, over the next week, she barely left the lab. Fitz became her shadow and watched as she poured over documents, case files and reports. He watched as she conducted dozens of simulations and tests. He also watched as she tossed and turned, alone in their shared bed at night. He watched as she left the cups of tea and sandwiches Daisy and Mack brought by untouched. He watched as she broke down and cried, when she thought she was alone. Watching her in pain and being unable to do anything to help was torture.

Coulson snuck up behind him, “How goes today’s haunting?”

“Haha, you’re so clever,” Fitz grumbled. “It’s just so frustrating. Jemma and I work best as a team and I can’t do anything to help. I see where she’s going with her work, but if I could find a way to communicate, I know we could figure it out.”

Coulson shook his head sympathetically, “We’ll get there. I don’t know how yet, but, I have a feeling a solution is going to present itself.”

Coulson’s feeling turned out to be prophetic. When Daisy stopped by the lab a little later and inspired Jemma to seek out Radcliffe, Fitz exclaimed, “Of course, Radcliffe! That’s perfect. Why didn’t we think of that sooner?”

* * *

**_Present Day_ **

“So let me get this straight-- you’re telling me that Aida is an android and because of her enhanced cybernetics, she’s able to see us?” Coulson said incredulously.

“That’s the basic jist of it, yeah,” Fitz confirmed.

“And after Ultron, you didn’t think helping to create a sentient AI was a terrible, terrible idea?”

Before Fitz could respond, Aida chimed in, “You have nothing to fear, Agent Coulson. I was designed to protect agents like yourself, not harm. To do anything else would go against my core programming.”

Robbie looked over at Fitz, perplexed, “I thought you said she couldn’t hear us?”

Fitz replied, “She’s programmed to understand dozens of forms of communication, including lip reading. Which I guess, has come in handy.”

“Well, alright then,” Coulson accepted. “Now that we have a cross-dimensional interpreter, what do we do?”

“The fact that Aida can see us-- that cybernetics can potentially bridge the gap between dimensions-- opens up a world of new possibilities,” Fitz said, the hope and excitement evident in his voice. He paused, as his gaze landed Coulson’s hand. “I think _that’s_ the key to us getting home.”

“What? My hand?” Coulson said.

“Yeah, your hand and Aida share common hardware. We should be able to create a resonant frequency between the two to open a portal of sorts,” Fitz said, gesturing animatedly with his hands to demonstrate.

Aida relayed his plans to Jemma and Radcliffe. Jemma called out, “Oh Fitz, that’s brilliant.” Fitz smiled at that-- even a world away, she was still supporting him.

Radcliffe chimed in, “I can pull up Aida’s specs. Agent Simmons, I assume you have access to Fitz’s designs for Coulson’s hand?”

With Jemma’s enthusiastic confirmation, the team set to work with renewed vigor.

It was slow going at first-- the game of telephone that they had to play between Fitz and Aida added an unexpected layer of complexity.

But once they figured out a process for communication and working together across space time, a solution for the dimensional bridge soon followed.

Radcliffe’s lab had gotten crowded. When the rest of the team heard that they might have a way to bring Fitz, Coulson and Robbie home, Daisy, Mack and May rushed over. So they were hanging back behind Radcliffe and Jemma, anxiously watching (and waiting) as the last minute preparations were made..

Fitz took charge of the situation, “Alright, Coulson-- I’m going to need you to stand over there, right on that mark. Okay, Aida, according to our calculations, you need to stand precisely 2.47 meters in front of him on that other mark.” Coulson and Aida moved as directed by Fitz. He continued on, “It possible that we’re only going to get one shot at this, so we have to make it count. When I say so, you’re both going to activate the pulse. If we have the frequency right, we should be able to cross back over.”

“So I just have have to press a button? Sounds simple enough,” Coulson stated.

Fitz replied, “That’s the idea. Robbie, you’ll go through the portal first and then I’ll follow. Coulson, you need to come through last because it will close behind you.”

“Got it.”

“Roger that.”  

Robbie and Coulson replied simultaneously, speaking over one another. The pair looked at one another and smiled nervously.

“Everybody ready? I think it’s time for us to go home,” Fitz declared. “Aida, tell Jemma and Radcliffe to monitor the stability closely. And that we’ll see them soon-- or rather, they’ll see us.”

Aida relayed the message and Jemma replied, “You bet we will. Just come home, Fitz. In one piece, preferably.”

Fitz smiled, “Alright, you heard her. Let’s do this. On my mark-- three, two, one, GO!”

Aida and Coulson activated the pulse and two beams of electric blue light met in the middle. It crackled and sizzled for a moment, before a bubble materialized. Fitz heard Radcliffe from the other side, “Fitz! My god, it actually worked-- We can see you. The portal is stable, holding at 99%.”

“Alright, Robbie. You’re up,” Fitz directed. When Robbie just stood there gawking, he continued, “Now isn’t the time for dilly dallying-- go!”

“Sorry, sorry. The whole actual ripple in spacetime caught me off guard.” Robbie said, hands raise in apology. Without any additional preamble, he leapt head first through the portal at full speed.

“Bloody idiot, I told him you could just walk through normally,” Fitz said, with a shake of his head. “Coulson, I’ll see you on the other side.”

Fitz walked through the portal, casting a quick look back at Coulson as he did. When he turned back around, Jemma was there waiting for him. Fitz locked eyes with her, emotions overwhelming him,  “Hi.”

“Hi,” she replied back, her eyes shining with tears and communicating what her words could not.

Fitz pulled Jemma into a deep kiss, his hands wandering up and down her back, as if he was trying to grab as much of her as possible, to remind himself that he could touch and hold her again.

“Oh god, you have no idea how much I wanted to do that all week, how much I missed _you_ ,” Fitz murmured, pressing his forehead to hers.

Jemma chuckled, “I think I have _some_ idea. I missed you too-- never do that to me again.”

Before Fitz could respond, he heard Coulson come through behind him. Without breaking contact with Jemma, he whipped his head around just in time to see the portal close, with a small _pop_.

“Well, that was anti-climatic,” Coulson said bluntly. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining-- it’s just so rare that a rescue op like that actually goes as planned. I’m used to portals collapsing in on me.”

May rolled her eyes, “Way to ruin the moment, Phil.”

“He’s not wrong, though,” Daisy chimed in, with a smile. “We don’t have the best track record with this type of stuff.”

The room erupted in laughter.  Hugs and handshakes were given out freely, welcoming the trio home.

Looking down at his and Jemma’s interlocked hands, Fitz pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. Smiling to himself, Fitz realized that he has literally crossed universes and dimensions for this women-- and he would cross a thousand more if it meant coming home to her. Because Jemma _was_ his home, no matter how many dimensions or how many planets came between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's done! (I can't tell you how excited I am!) 
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr @accio-the-force, if you want to continue squealing over these two science nerds!.

**Author's Note:**

> Super excited to get this out into the world-- my first multichapter fic (if a self contained threeshot counts)!
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr @accio-the-force, if you want to continue fawning over these two science nerds.


End file.
